You’ve probably already heard that the Arnold Sports Festival, for the first time ever, included pole dance as one of the events.
This is awesome, because it’s a really strong indicator of pole being considered a sport (if that’s what you want. Personally, I do.)
As amazing as it is, and as awesome as winner Oksana Grishina was, there is another voice about the event that is not so positive.
According to Iron Affinity, the Festival is degrading women by adding pole as an event. They also seem to be arguing that the demise of women’s bodybuilding, which was not included as an event this year.
This is so frustrating. I don’t really believe that pole dance is empowering per say, but I also don’t think it’s degrading. Probably if I thought it was degrading I would find another way to spend all my time and money.
This logic is infuriating. I don’t know what happened to the Women’s Body building event, but it wasn’t pushed out because of pole. There is something perverse and horrible in the logic that doing one sport comes at the expense of the other. There is room for everyone, and it’s really awesome that pole was included.
poledancecompetition 
Waylon Martin
/ March 11, 2014Hey guys, that was actually a shared article, I personally don’t mind pole fitness
Kim
/ March 12, 2014Hmmm… I found it on your website. And even by sharing, you are sharing the idea that pole is degrading. The content is what frustrates me, so I stand by what I wrote.